Getting drenched in a sandy beach, till our fingers get pruney. That was the plan behind our holiday. And we found the right location. Payyambalam beach, Kannur, Kerala.
Not a very touristy place has its advantages. The Beach was very clean. Very few people were around. And best of all no souvenir shops on the beach.
There are a few Beach resorts. But we chose to stay in the town. K K Tourist home offers very good AC double for Rs 1250/- The beach can be reached from here for Rs 30/- by an auto rickshaw in 10 mins [3.5 kms]
Tasty local cuisine is available all around. We devoured on Pazham pori, Puttu & Kadalakari , Vellaiappam, elaiada… For fine dining, there is ‘Broad bean’ and ‘Royal Omars’. They too are not costly. All these are just a couple of hundred metres from the place we stayed.
Sitting on the rocks and seeing the crashing waves is an enjoyable pass time at st. Angelo’s fort. Situated on the sea shore, it offers stunning views of the sea on one side. (but doesn’t offer a beach to bathe). On another side, Airmen from IAF are seen parading. We were able to see home coming fishing boats and the fish market on the other side.
A not to miss place is the very well maintained light house.
For an entry fee of Rs.20/- we were allowed to climb. And view the Arabian sea from the top.For science buffs, there is the light house museum.
There is a nice restaurant ‘Raandhal’ . Meaning ‘Hurricane lamp’ in Tamil and Malayalam, they serve tasty dishes at a price that doesn’t burn a hole in our pocket. The highlight of the interiors is the corridor where water falls from the tiled roof. Giving a surreal ‘ eating amidst a monsoon rain’ effect.
During one of our dinners, there was a power break down. Yet the water was pouring down. After an initial confusion, We realized it was really raining. Welcome pre-monsoon showers.
Ice cream lovers, don’t miss Iceberg. Situated in the KK trade centre complex. Offers exotic ice creams at a very easy price.
On our way back, we tried some excellent ‘Arabic sweets’ at MRA Bakery & Restaurant. [Right in front of the Railway station].
” Maappila and Arabic food festival” at the Royal Omars was about to open on 6th May 2016. We started our return journey on 5th May. What a miss.